MOVIE REVIEWS: INSIDIOUS

IN THEATERS

INSIDIOUS



Saw franchise veterans James Wan and Leigh Whannell team with Paranormal Activity writer/director Oren Peli to give the familiar haunted house story an exciting new twist with this tale of a family that moves into an old house and begins to suspect they are under siege from otherworldly forces when their young son inexplicably falls into a deep coma. As devoted parents Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai (Rose Byrne) struggle in vain to uncover the root cause of their son's condition, the stress of the situation gradually begins to take its toll on their once-strong relationship. Later, when darkness falls and specters appear to reach out for them from the shadows, the frightened parents realize they're dealing with powers beyond human comprehension. Barbara Hershey and Lin Shaye co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: James Wan

Cast: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye, Ty Simpkins, Angus Sampson

Release Date: Apr 01, 2011

Rated PG-13 for Violence, thematic material, terror, brief strong language and frightening images

Runtime: 1 hr. 42 min.

Genres: Drama Horror

Review:

Insidious is a welcome throwback to 70’s horror. . Stylistic, matched with effective music, this film is high on tension, low on gore, it’s the type of film that’s intent on winding you up and then smacking you in the face. It’s a kind of an expected surprise from James Wan who directed the original Saw. Wan directs with an aggressive style, using interesting angles to keep you off kilter and intrigued throughout. He does a fine job of building suspense with only occasional hiccups into absurdity. This film works best when the terror is in the shadows and never fully revealed. Wan doesn’t maintain this but veers into Sam Raimi territory, especially in the final act. The cast is strong even if they are asked to do much in the script. Patrick Wilson primary function is to be dismissive throughout but is given a tad more to do in final reel. Rose Byrne, who was born with the “my cat was just run over” look, is frazzled within 10 minutes of the film. Lin Shayne and her band of ghost hunters bring a change of pace to the film when they show up. I fear Insidious may not be everybody’s cup of tea, mainly because people can be terribly dismissive of tension as opposed to outright in your face gore. That being said, if you enjoy a slow build up this Poltergeist light will be right up your alley.

B+